Wandsworth

Wandsworth's population expanded in the 10 years leading up to 2011. At the same time there were changes in religion, ethnicity and health.

The population reached nearly 310,000

In the 10 years leading up to the latest census, the population of Wandsworth increased by 18%, from just over 260,000 to 307,000.

The addition of just under 47,000 people means this area's population increased faster than the rate of growth across England (up 7.9% since the 2001 census).

In 2011, Wandsworth was home to, on average, 64 people per football pitch-sized piece of land (about 7,140 square metres).

Population density was higher than the average across London

Population density (usual residents per 7,140 square metres) across London, March 2011 (larger dots represent greater increase since 2001)

An older Wandsworth

Census 2011 data also show a change in the local population's average age.

Between the last two censuses, the median age of Wandsworth increased by one year, from 31 to 32 years.

This cosmopolitan area had a lower average age than London and remained younger than the average local authority area across England (39 years of age).

The fall in age was because of an increase of just under 15,000 people between the ages of 30 and 39 years, while the population over the age of 80 years decreased by just over 800.

About 23% of people in Wandsworth are aged between 30 and 39 years

Percentage of usual residents in England, London and Wandsworth by 10 year age band, March 2001 and March 2011

More people cohabiting

This area saw London's second-largest rise in the proportion of households with an unmarried couple.

Across the region, only Islington saw a greater rise in the proportion of households with an unmarried couple (from 9.4% to 12%).

In 2011, just under one in eight (12%) households in Wandsworth had an unmarried couple, compared with 10% in 2001. The percentage with just a single person decreased from 37% to 32%.

The percentage of households with a cohabiting couple was higher than across London

Percentage of households that that had an unmarried couple across local authority areas in London and the average across England, March 2011

Religion in Wandsworth

The number of people in Wandsworth that described themselves as having no religion increased from about 52,000 in 2001 to about 83,000 in 2011. This represents a change from 20% to 27% of the local population.

The percentage increased by more than the average across London (from 16% to 21%), but at a slower rate than the average across England (from 15% to 25%).

The number of people in Wandsworth that described themselves as Christian remained close to 160,000 between the last two censuses (from 62% to 53% of the population). The number of people who described themselves as Muslim increased from about 14,000 to about 25,000 (from 5.2% to 8.1%).

About 24,000 people (8.8%) did not state their religion, up from just under 23,000 in 2001 (7.9%).

There are many factors that can cause changes to the religious profile of an area, such as migration and varying fertility rates between religious groups. Changes may also be caused by differences in the way individuals choose to self-identify between censuses.

The population without a religion in Wandsworth increased by 7 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in England, London and Wandsworth by religion, March 2001 and March 2011

Ethnicity in Wandsworth

The number of people in Wandsworth from the White ethnic groups increased from just over 200,000 in 2001 to just under 220,000 in 2011. However, as a percentage of the total population, this represented a decrease from 78% to 71%.

The percentage decreased by less than the average across London (from 71% to 60%), but at a slower rate than the average across England (from 91% to 85%).

The number of people in Wandsworth from the Asian or Asian British ethnic groups increased from just over 20,000 in 2001 to just over 33,000 in 2011 (from 7.8% to 11%). The number of residents from the Black, Black British, Caribbean or African ethnic groups increased from about 25,000 to just under 33,000 (from 9.6% to 11%).

About 15,000 people (3.4%) said they were from Mixed/multiple ethnic groups (White and Asian, White and Black African, White and Black Caribbean or Other Mixed), up from just over 8,700 in 2001 (5.0%).

There are many factors that can cause changes to the ethnic profile of an area, such as migration and varying fertility rates between ethnic groups. Changes may also be caused by differences in the way individuals choose to self-identify between censuses.

The population from the White ethnic groups in Wandsworth decreased by 6.5 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in England, London and Wandsworth by ethnicity, March 2001 and March 2011

Health improved

The percentage of Wandsworth residents that described their health as bad or very bad decreased from 7.2% to 3.8% in the 10 years leading up to the latest census.

Rates are standardised to account for variation in age, which can impact the local population's health.

In 2011, just under 9 in 10 (87%) said their health was good or very good, compared with 75% in 2001. The percentage of Wandsworth residents that described their health as fair decreased from 18% to 8.9%.

The proportion of residents that perceived their health as bad or very bad fell at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of London (from 8.3% in 2001 to 5.0% in 2011). Across England, the proportion fell from 9.1% to 5.5%.

These data are people’s own opinions in describing their overall health. They may be inconsistent with other measures of health, such as NHS records.

The percentage of people in ’bad’ or ’very bad’ health in Wandsworth decreased by 3.4 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in Wandsworth, London and England said their health was bad or very bad, March 2001 and March 2011

↑ Back to the top

Area report data

Related links